Vorcha: Unexpected Labour a Boon for the Terminus
''Unexpected Labour a Boon for the Terminus; Is Council Space Next? is one of the retrospective articles prepared by CDN members to illustrate the events and changes that occurred during the year following the Reaper War.'' Unexpected Labour a Boon for the Terminus; Is Council Space Next? Report by the Citadel Press In the rush to rebuild after the Reaper invasion, it was to be expected that some surviving worlds would be left behind. As the Council’s logistics experts try to coordinate cleanup and reconstruction across Citadel space, the last thing on their minds is the fate of the countless minor Terminus powers and worlds not within their purview. As it turns out, the Terminus has its own source of unexpected help: the vorcha. Two recent studies - one conducted by the Courts of Dekuuna as part of their ongoing effort to determine areas of highest need and another by the Vol Protectorate to assist in resource reallocation - have led to some unexpected revelations. While homeworlds and other major centers receiving direct geth support have achieved the most since the Reaper withdrawal, a number of Terminus worlds are among the recovery leaders in each study. Independent reviews have confirmed the results, and while initially baffled, each analyst eventually came to the same conclusion: accelerated recovery is often closely tied to the size of the local vorcha population. A cautionary note was appended to each study, indicating that vorcha gathering in large numbers will tend to revert to a pack hierarchy, and that this may not be the best way to harness their potential. The Vol Protectorate study, in particular, emphasized that the most successful worlds were those which had scattered populations of vorcha rather than large concentrations, as the damage caused by large numbers of vorcha can be overwhelming. Leading the unexpected Terminus recovery were the Republic of Orozvhad and the Vonskar Coalition, damaged in a war with one another prior to the arrival of the Reapers. Their positions in the Terminus as trade hubs and their recent militarization led to an influx of vorcha as both refugees and soldiers of fortune, who in the aftermath of the Reaper war have proven quick to learn more useful trades. Long restricted from travelling through Council space, during the Reaper war the Council races grudgingly provided transport and armament for many vorcha due to their reputation as savage ground troops. The vorcha did not disappoint, and while the Reaper advance continued unabated the vorcha earned a reputation among their better-trained and better-equipped peers for enthusiasm and relentlessness. In the aftermath of the war, it was clear to all parties that the vorcha deserved recognition for their contributions, though exactly how has yet to be determined. Highlighted in the economic studies were encouraging incidents in which vorcha construction crews continued working through inclement weather conditions, as well as more ominous examples, such as a Vonskar salvage team whose overseer went missing, only to be later found dismembered and gnawed upon by a vorcha who had seemingly taken his place in the eyes of the pack. The vorcha have historically been used for manual labor across the Terminus due to their adaptive biology. Vorcha workers can survive irradiated environments and injuries that would be crippling or lethal to other species, and rarely regard any work as beneath them. Their willingness to take jobs other races would be unwilling or unable to complete in reasonable time has made the vorcha invaluable in the Terminus Systems, and the Blood Pack has reportedly capitalized on this by hiring out teams of vorcha mercenaries as laborers. In light of this new information, Citadel races, including the volus, elcor, and humans, have petitioned to lift or at least reduce the punitive travel restrictions on vorcha within Citadel space. In each case, the petition called for a continued ban on vorcha traveling to homeworlds, and when questioned regarding this caveat, the elcor ambassador’s office issued the following statement: “Formally: It is with great joy that we welcome the potential contribution of the vorcha to the rebuilding effort; however, their quick reproduction and adaptability necessitate certain restrictions on their activities. Sympathetically: Through no conscious effort of their own, the vorcha, if left unchecked, could overrun the homeworlds of many species, and while we wish to extend the paw of friendship, these unique circumstances require a certain amount of caution.” Objections quickly came to the fore, particularly from human colonies already embroiled in controversy over accusations that the Alliance reconstruction plan favors Earth at the expense of the colonies. Speaking under condition of anonymity, one prominent colonial politician had this to say: “So Earth comes in after the better part of a year of us being on our own, they’re getting the damned geth to help them rebuild, they need our resources, and when we ask them for a bit of help they want us to invite the vorcha to stay? I get that the vorcha fought the Reapers too, but their lifestyle isn’t exactly compatible with ours, y’know? We let a bunch of them in, even if they help to start, pretty soon this’ll be a vorcha colony and none of us want that.” Citing concerns over a lack of concrete evidence, Council representatives have pledged to revisit the issue of vorcha travel rights after the next financial quarter’s recovery figures are in. Until then, both study groups predict a continuing pattern of accelerated recovery on worlds effectively using vorcha as a rebuilding tool. Category:Retrospective